LSC-Kingwood students hold river clean-up

HEATHER KFOURY, CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

Published
5:30 am CDT, Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Plastic water bottles and Styrofoam cups – some even labeled with the 'Don't Mess With Texas' public service announcement – are the items that litter the San Jacinto River most. At least that's what several Lone Star College-Kingwood students discovered during a clean-up effort in Humble earlier this month.

Amos Zimmerman, 23, of Splendora, often walks along the shallow banks of the San Jacinto River near U.S. 59 and behind the college campus where he's studying biology. A few times, he's ventured down the waterway on canoe and was aghast at the amount of trash build-up he encountered.

Messing with Texas

"Apparently, many Texans do indeed have the audacity to mess with Texas. That was our thought as we fished (plastic bottles) out of the water," Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman is part of Lone Star College-Kingwood's Honors Student Organization, which participates in a nature preservation project each year called the Lowlands Project. This effort is usually limited to a forested area west of the college campus, but Zimmerman felt a need to extend the project to the river.

"Cleaning up the river is simply an extension of this broader vision of caring for the natural environment, which constantly faces threats from human development and the abuse of resources," said Zimmermann. "Not only is the trash a threat to the local ecology, but it also feeds into Lake Houston, which is a water supply for the city of Houston."

Karen Fingado, 46, of Kingwood, is studying nursing and is also a member of the Honors Student Organization. She lives near a pristine portion of Lake Houston and has visited the park off Woodland Hills where many people launch their boats and jet skis – mostly free of trash.

When Fingado saw the waste collected west of her home stomping grounds, she vowed to change her lifestyle.

"I recycle now and never litter. I also make sure I pick up any litter I see in my pathway, whether on campus, on the greenbelts, or in a parking lot," she said.

Eye-opening experience

Zimmerman found the experience eye-opening as well.

"This project has made me even more conscientious about how much plastic material I use. I now avoid buying bottled water and try to cut way back on soft drinks that come in Styrofoam cups, since they can't be recycled. I just refill the same bottle over and over from the faucet. I have also tried to step up my efforts to recycle bottles and get other students to do the same," he said.

The students collected more than two dozen bags of trash during their one-day effort. Finding the experience more fun than laborious, they hope to involve other community members to fully clean-up and maintain the river in the near future.

"We received attention from many people who were fishing, and our hope is that our efforts left them inspired to exercise stewardship of the natural environment," Zimmerman said. "I am truly amazed that by taking one afternoon, we were able to make such a tangible difference in our community."

Even though this was the students' first time to organize a clean-up of the San Jacinto River, they received a donation of trash bags, water bottles and gloves from the Porter-area Wal-Mart; Waste Connections of Texas sent out a truck and a driver to pick up all of the collected trash for free; and the club was able to rent canoes from Southwest Paddle Sports.

A group effort

Other clubs on campus have discussed an interest in collaborating with the Honor Student Organization on their next clean-up as well.

"Who would have thought picking up trash could be so fun. We are definitely going to plan more clean-up days and hopefully get more students to attend," Fingado said.

While there is some interest from the students to participate in Trash Bash, a clean-up project of Lake Houston, Zimmerman said there are no immediate plans to clean beyond San Jacinto River.

"With so much work do right in our backyard, we have no reason to look farther afield yet" Zimmerman said.

Along with its Lowlands Project, the Honor Student Organization also collects books for its Third World Books Project, which helps supply textbooks and literary resources to students in third-world countries. They also participate annually in Relay For Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, and have worked with Lone Star College-Tomball to clean up their wetlands.

"The mission of the Honors Program is to enrich the college experience for our academically talented students through courses centered on learning, leading and service," said Dr. David Putz, political science professor and advisor of the Honors Program and Honors Student Organization. "Outside of the classroom, we provide students with opportunities to participate in cultural activities, such as trips to plays, museums and special seminars."